Before the NBA season started, we asked fans to appreciate what having Darko Milicic in town really meant. It’s Darko, after all! Well, that’s all over now: With the signing of former phenom Jonathan Bender, the Knicks aren’t even activating Darko for games, and it’s possible he might be a DNP–Coach’s Decision the rest of the year. Poor Darko.
Darko seems to have finally had enough of this dirty NBA business.
“Whatever happens, I’m going back [to Europe] next year,” Milicic said. “It’s 100-percent certain. I have to be real and not lie. I’m not going to get it done in the NBA. I’m not going to get another opportunity and there’s nothing wrong with going back to Europe. I don’t want to create a bad atmosphere here, but it’s not working in the NBA. … I don’t give a bleep about the money. I just want to enjoy the basketball. I’d like to have the ball in my hands and have an offense run through me. I’m not just a defensive player.”
Because Darko has had such a difficult time in the NBA, we’re going to do our best to resist a “if you’re looking for a country where the offense goes through you, you’re going to have to play on Pluto” joke and just wish him well. It never worked out for him in the NBA, and he’ll leave the United States thought of as one of the biggest busts in draft history. Even though he turns 24 in June.
Meanwhile, Nate Robinson is gonna be sitting for a while as well, but he doesn’t get to escape to Europe. Not yet, anyway.